Chasing Anne

From College

Mark Normand pulled his steel blue F-150 into the dirt driveway of an old farmhouse. He drove up the driveway and then gently pushed the brakes, letting the truck come to a stop. He pulled out the keys from the ignition and for a moment, just stared at the front door through the windshield. What was he doing here? Sure he wanted to come and check up on Anne, but he hadn't even called to let her know he was coming. He sighed and ran his fingers through his sandy blonde hair. What if she wasn't home? For a moment, he thought about putting the keys back into the ignition and restarting the car, but then shook the thought away. He was here; he wasn't going back. Still, he waited a few moments before getting out of the car and replayed he and Anne's relationship from the last three years since college. There was a lot to go over. He'd met Anne during his sophomore year in college. He'd noticed her before that, but had never really talked to her. Mostly due to the fact that she didn't talk to anyone. For his freshman year, he'd left her alone, thinking that she just needed the first year of college to get used to life on campus. But as the second semester of his sophomore year began, she still seemed friendless. At least, from his perspective. The only time he saw her was during lunch hour. She was always alone, in the back corner of the mess hall, eating in solitude. Mark decided to change that, though he wasn't sure it had been the smartest move at first. It was a March day when he'd made his move. The sky was groggy and gray, but it wasn't raining. He'd taken his lunch tray straight over to her table and sat down, letting out a cheerful, 'Hi,' to which she only nodded to. Neither spoke the entire meal. Anne was gone in what seemed like seconds. The following noon, he couldn't find her, though he saw her later that day. He'd trotted up to her in the hall as she was walking to one of her classes, though he stayed a little ways behind her to avoid serious notice. About halfway down the hall, she tripped and fell, all of her papers that had apparently been tucked in her arms, flying out everywhere. A few of the other students had snickered, but Mark was on the floor in an instant, scrambling to pick up the fallen sheets. Anne apparently had recognized him because she smiled at him and thanked him, though she said no more. But those two words were enough to make Mark feel like he was soaring above the clouds. The following day, she was back at her table as usual. Mark made his way over to her and sat down with her. She smiled and looked up at him, though he saw a hint of skepticism in her blue eyes. She seemed to look him over and then held out her hand for him to shake.

"My name's Anne," she said softly.

"Mark," Mark replied. "How are you?"

Anne shrugged. "Fine, I guess. Thanks for helping me yesterday."

Mark smiled. "It was a pleasure."

Anne said no more after that, but Mark awarded himself with the honor of being the first to talk to her, which he was quite proud of. The following day, the two met again, this time outside. The days were finally warming toward spring. As the two ate, Anne looked up at Mark and studied him closely.

"Why are you all of a sudden spending time with me?"

As soon as she had asked the question, he had put a large bite of his sandwich in his mouth. It took him a few minutes to finish chewing and answer, and by then he was thoroughly embarrassed. "You don't seem to have many friends around here."

Anne just shrugged. "I'm not a people person."

Mark laughed. "Everybody needs people whether they like them or not."

Anne glanced at him, and then the floor, hugging herself as if for comfort. "You don't understand."

Mark sighed and set his sandwich down. "Look, I'm not trying to put you on the spot here, but please, hear me out. Why are you always alone?"